Masks and face shields of the prior art used in connection with certain sporting activities such as skiing, motorcycling and paint-ball war games often suffer from a reduced field of vision and poor visibility due to fogging and soiling of the eye shield. During activities such as motor cross and paint-ball war games, the lens acting as an eye shield is subject to scratching and soiling by mud or paint splashes which cannot be effectively wiped out, and may require replacement of the eye shield. Players may also wish to interchange shields depending on playing conditions. For example, a tinted or polarizing shield may be preferred in bright sunlight.
Because of the rigorous nature of play, the shield attachment mechanism must be rugged and non-bulky.